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 Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 7:10 pm
As the month dragged on, Evan found himself getting more and more nervous. It wasn’t that he didn’t love the Holiday season, he just...loved it more when there wasn’t all this anxiety. When he was a kid, things had been nice. His mother was less busy back then, and she always made a big deal out of Christmas. His father used to get a few days off. Getting the tree, decorating it…
He and his sister even used to get along back then.
He hadn’t had a Christmas like that in a long time, though. It was a distant memory, and it was bittersweet at best. Painful at worst.
Zack didn’t really decorate for Christmas, and on top of that he was going to stay at his parent’s place for the few days before and after Christmas. Which was great and all, except Evan couldn't go home. So he got to look forward to spending the rest of the Holiday alone.
It probably wasn’t much of a surprise that, for as much as he hated the drunkards in the bar, he was still in the kitchen. It wasn’t even Christmas yet but he was already dreading being alone, and their loud voices from the other room was better company than most. Besides, he got to cook. It wasn’t much, but it let him take his mind off of other things.
...Except it was lonely, and no matter how hard he tried to pretend like it was just any other night, he was listening to old Christmas music from his phone in a room full food flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon, and more hot cocoa than he could stomach.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 7:29 pm
He was sick. That's all there was too it. Quail's Eye was under the weather and hopped up on cold medication even though he was pretty sure it was the flu. It seemed like powering up took even more energy than usual, but he was going to go check on Evan and make sure the mane was still okay. So far there hadn't been any accidents with youma or Negaverse agents. However, Quail figured the one day he didn't go check, Evan would end up targeted. So that's why he was wandering to the kitchen they met at frequently and sniffled as the hot air hit him. The small man shivered and pulled his robes around him even more before calling out so he didn't scare him. "Evan?" he sounded a little groggy, hopefully not sick. It was one thing to be sick and another to actually sound sick. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and blew on it slowly before smiling a little. "Evan are you here?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:15 pm
Evan seemed surprised to have company and hastily fumbled to turn off his Christmas music. He spun quickly, awkward smile on his face as he shoved his phone into his pocket. "Quail!" he greeted, but his smile quickly fell. "Hey—are you okay?"
He was quick to pick up on the groggy, and maybe it was the chill outside or a play of the lights, but Quail looked a little red in the face—and a little extra cold.
"Is it that cold outside or are you sick or something? Here, come in and have a seat, let me fix you up something warm. I have a ton of hot chocolate."
He was already bustling around, pulling a chair out of the storage closet for the male; it seemed when he wasn't being scared out of his mind he was much friendlier—and it his kitchen, he was a pretty decent host.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:26 pm
His nose was red but the smile on his face was undeniable. Evan was a friend and he wanted to make him happy. So the fact Evan was surprised made Quail beam even more. Sniffling a bit, he flapped a sleeve at him before holding them up. "It's cold! ..But I'm probably sick, so i wouldn't get too close!" He sniffled a bit more and stuck his tongue out again before going to sit on the chair when it was brought out for him. "Ah.. I had to make sure you're okay. I was going to stay outside again, but... It's cold and I.. might be feeling dizzy," he murmured, rubbing his sleeves over his cheeks to warm up. "You can keep listening to music, it's okay!" Yep, he was getting stuffier and stuffier as he talked. Ugh. Slowly he rested his head in a hand that was propped up on a prep counter before smiling. "How's work?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:45 pm
"Uh—no, it's okay. My phone was, uh, playing some weird stuff. Let me get you something," he said; he wasn't terribly afraid of Quail if he was sick, but he hurried over to prepare a mug of hot cocoa. He made it—the same as last time—but this time he also brought over a plate with two small, stuffed little pies. "They're meat pies, so I hope you aren't a vegetarian. But the pie crust is my favorite part, so if you make them smaller, like this, you get more crust. Warm food always helps me when I'm sick so if you're catching something you should eat lots, rest lots, and you should not be out fighting monsters. What if you get hurt? You're at a disadvantage."
He didn't mean to nag, but Evan figured Quail had a dangerous job already. The last thing he wanted was for someone he considered a friend to get hurt.
"I've got an extra jacket, do you wanna borrow it? It might help you warm up some."
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 8:54 pm
"Small quantities of meat are fine. There are other things in it, so yeah, it's okay," he murmured, smiling a little. Quail shivered himself and then just looked at the little pies before wriggling his fingers and grabbing one. He slowly nibbled on it and then blinked at the other's words before laughing. He kept his mouth shut because he was eating. "Mn.. No. I'm.. I'll be okay." He had a warm apartment and a gigantic boyfriend at home, so Kraven was his own personal heater. "Don't worry. I'm going to spend all day in bed tomorrow and just pass out.." He ate another mouthful of this delicious meat pie and just sighed contentedly. The look on his face was pure bliss. Slowly he licked his lips again and just toyed with another meat pie, tugging it forward because he was definitely going to eat it. Quail was going to eat everything. Skipping lunch might have been a huge mistake. A wave of dizziness rushed over him and before he knew it, Quail's glamour dropped and he was just Kazuo sitting there, chewing on the pies.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:08 pm
Evan had just opened his mouth to ask how the meat pies where when suddenly Quail was not there any more, but some guy was. Some guy that happened to look sort of like Quail, but he never would have put the two together if he hadn't just watched one change into the other right before his eyes.
"Do—uhm."
He was quiet for a minute and looked almost embarrassed, like he'd walked in on someone doing the do. He turned his head away had held up one hand, like putting a barrier between his eyes and Kazuo was going to remove the fact that he had just seen what he was pretty sure was the other Quail—the man behind the disguise.
"Uhm," he cleared his throat. "Hey, Quail, I don't know if you meant to do it, but if you did, it's super sweet and all that you trust me that much, but you know you're not, you know. Quail right now, right?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:14 pm
Qua- no. Kazuo looked up at the voice that quickly cut itself off and then watched as Evan seemed to get embarrassed, like he was caught naked or somethin-- He looked down at himself, in jeans and a sweater and not his Amazon Trio garb and just sighed hard. "Too tired to be Quail's Eye right now," he said, rubbing his nose on his sleeve and then just rubbed his face all over. He swallowed a little more and then just offered a sheepish smile. "I'm... Kazuo. Kazuo Saito," he said, actually waving. "You're... the only one that knows both sides of me. Congratulations." He was tired, but he was trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal even though it really was. What if Evan was a Chaos soldier?! ...Then again he wouldn't have gotten attacked would he? Not that many times. Ugh, his brain was making things very difficult for him right now. "...The pies are really good?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:21 pm
Slowly, Evan trusted himself to look back over. Quail—Kazuo—didn't seem too worried, but something wasn't sitting entirely right with Evan and he felt like he'd accidentally won some game through a loophole.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, brows knit. "If it's any consolation, I know a couple of other identities. But I'll keep them a secret, I promise."
A couple might not have been a couple but he hoped that it would reassure Kazuo a bit.
"…Maybe I should have made some chicken noodle soup instead. You look really out of it."
Evan faltered and then reached out to rest his hand on Kazuo's forehead; it wasn't long before he retracted it. "…You feel like you've got a fever, too. I really admire your work ethic, but…you should probably take more than a day off."
He couldn’t even really appreciate the compliment about the pies; he was too worried what would have happened if Quail hadn't decided to come inside for a few minutes. What if this happened while he was out fighting a youma? Not only would he have lost his super powers, but he was also clearly in no condition to fight. "…Don't push yourself. Like, I don't even want you walking home, do you have someone who can come pick you up?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:27 pm
"I took a lot of medication," he said like it was obvious. Kazuo pulled his sweater tighter around him when his forehead was felt and just seemed to lean into it out of reflex, but.. Kazuo liked touch. "...I trust you to keep it secret. You seem really trustworthy." He nodded a little more before sipping at the hot chocolate when it came to him that he actually had it near him. Then when Evan suggested that he actually take more than a day off, Kazuo's brows knit. He probably should, but he had to keep checking up on Evan. "Let me know when your next off day is and we'll both have it off." He gave a very out of it smile before shivering again. "My boyfriend... Kraven can get me...." He finally shifted to put his hot face against the cool surface of whatever the hell he was leaning against. "...Can you text him for me? Say you're a friend and give him the address.." With that, he pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and pulled up the chats he had going with Kraven, which was nothing risque that he could remember, and then handed it over. He was getting so sleepy and so warm.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:48 pm
Evan seemed immediately surprised when he mentioned having a boyfriend; it wasn't like it was such an odd idea, but whatever was going through his head, it wasn't that. He took the phone and awkwardly began to text this Kraven guy. Who sounded super shady, that was like the name of some horror dude. He imagined a hulking brute, piercings all over and a permanent scowl on his face. Probably some gang tattoos. Probably bullying poor, innocent Quail into a relationship.
His face has soured as he texted the address to the bar.
This guy was such a jerk—who even let their boyfriend go out when they were so obviously in need of some TLC? Like, seriously. If he'd been dating Kazuo, he'd have kept him in bed and put on a good movie and made sure he was tucked in and comfortable. With all the hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup he could eat.
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend," he said, trying to make small talk. "Does…he know about…both of you?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 9:53 pm
Well he wouldn't be far off, honestly. Kraven was nearly 2 feet taller than him and had tattoos and piercings and a scowl all over his face. However, Kazuo bullied Kraven more than Kraven bullied him. He just gave a little noise and hugged himself a bit tighter before nodding. "...Six.. Five months? I forget." It was sad to forget because yes, he had actually recently talked about this, but he was fuzzy. "And..no? Uhm. ..He doesn't. I'm.. I don't want him involved. As far as I know he has nothing to do with any of this war and if I can help it, I want ti to stay that way. ...I wish I could make you not part of the war anymore, but.." He flapped a hand and just sipped at the chocolate slowly. Kazuo had this content look on his face as he nuzzled into the warmth of the empty hot chocolate cup that lingered there. Why was he so cold all of a sudden? "He doesn't know I'm sick, either.."
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 10:28 pm
Evan's lips puckered as he listened. As much as he'd liked to have not been involved in the war, he was youma chow more often than not, and he couldn’t understand why.
Secrets, though—those he could understand, but not…too many. If he were ever dating someone like that, he'd want to know. He'd want to make sure he knew they got home safe, or that they didn't need him for anything. Or…
He scoffed, a half hearted, weak attempt at a laugh.
Like they'd need him for anything.
"I get that," he said after a few seconds. "…I bet if he knew he'd just worry all the time, then. Guess you didn't tell him you were sick for the same reason, huh? …I mean, if he knew, he'd…"
Evan hesitated; he didn't want to pry too much, but he didn't really know where the appropriate point to draw the line was. "Probably want to keep you home and snuggle you and make sure you were safe and warm, right?"
A part of him sounded hopeful, and a part jealous; it wasn't until the words left his mouth that he realized what he was saying and wondered why.
Except, of course, he imagined Zack, leaving him alone for Christmas, and he knew exactly why.
Someone needed to have a functioning relationship.
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 10:32 pm
"Probably pin me to the bed and make me not move for like three days and then leave me for work while I whine and suffer in the blankets." Kazuo nodded and then laughed giddily. Kraven was an a*****e sometimes, but honestly the man did take care of him. "But I don't like being in bed when I don't have to be, so I didn't tell him so I didn't have to stay home." He took a deep breath after saying all that in one shot and then just coughed because taking deep breaths apparently made him short of breath... which made no sense, but whatever. "He's rough around the edges, but... Mn.. He's warm and kind when it counts." He looked at Evan with a soft look and then reached out to pat his head softly and sighed. "You have someone like it?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2015 10:49 pm
Evan blinked with the headpat; he didn’t seem used to contact like that and it took him a moment to process it. "Me? Oh," he faltered and laughed briefly. "Yeah."
He lied, quick and dismissively. "…Something like that, yeah. I guess he sounds like a pretty good guy. I think the smart thing to do is keep you in bed. You won't get as sick if you take it easy at the beginning. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes you a good few days to get over things now."
Hesitantly, he patted Kazuo on the back, as if trying to reassure him—or ease his coughing. "…You're lucky to have a guy who wants to look after you, though. As long as he's warm and kind when it counts. And as long as he's good to you. If you're putting your life on the line for this city, you deserve someone who's gonna take care of you and love you and be good to you."
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